1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a load balancing descending device and, more particularly, it relates to a load balancing descending device for controlling the descent of a user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Soldiers who descend from helicopters into combat zones do not have the luxury of using standard rappel devices to control their rate of descent. It takes too long to engage and disengage the devices, the ropes are so thin that they get sucked into the helicopter's rotors and they typically allow only one soldier on the rope at a time. Additionally, the ropes typically apply friction in proportion to the amount of rope between the device and the ground. As the descending soldier approaches the ground there is less friction through the device because there is less rope weight and it becomes difficult to control the rate of descent. The currently accepted method is for the soldiers to slide down a roughly braided rope, approximately 50 mm in diameter, in the same manner as a fireman sliding down a pole. The technique is called fast-roping and requires no special equipment or devices. While this works well for a single soldier and his personal gear, it does not work when the soldier has an additional load such as a medical kit, a crew-served weapon, a canine unit, or other heavy equipment.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a load balancing descending device which automatically adjusts the amount of friction applied to the rope based on the combined weight of the soldier and his load. Additionally, a need exists for a load balancing descending device which automatically balances the weight of the soldier and his load against the weight of the free end of the rope in order to maintain a controlled rate of descent. Furthermore, there exists a need for a load balancing descending device which is easy to engage and disengage and allows a user to control the rate of descent with one hand.